Bush, Fox Discuss Migration Issues

Published 7:00 pm, Friday, October 25, 2002

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) _ President Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox discussed migration issues Sunday, offering no signs of forward movement on Fox's goal of a better deal for Mexican migrants who cross the border illegally.

Bush said he shares Fox's concerns about migration, but gave no indication of how _ or when _ he planned to address it. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the two-day Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, hosted here by Fox.

But Secretary of State Colin Powell said the climate may be more favorable in 2003.

Bush said, "We have had a mutual desire to deal with the migration issue in a way that recognizes reality and in a way that treats the Mexican citizens who are in the United States with respect. We will continue to work on this issue." Bush spoke with the Mexican president seated nearby.

Mexico wants legal status for many of the estimated 3 million Mexicans living in the United States as part of a broader liberalization program.

The two leaders discussed the issue a week before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks last year, and Bush seemed receptive.

In the aftermath, however, the mood in the United States shifted to one that emphasized the need for greater security along America's borders. Support for migration reform virtually disappeared in Washington.

Powell acknowledged that trend but said, "As we get to a more normal life and as we bring our homeland into a firmer basis of security … I think some of the concerns that Americans have and Congress has had with respect to migration issues might be in a better position."

The Bush-Fox consultation was their first since Fox canceled an August visit to four Texas cities and to Bush's ranch to protest the state's execution of convicted police killer Javier Suarez Medina, whom Fox said was a Mexican national.

Indeed, their joint appearance contrasted sharply with the ostentatious displays of friendship between the two men last year and U.S.-Mexican relations appeared at a low point not seen since the 1980s. There were no remarks by Fox welcoming Bush to Mexico, his aloofness reflecting his disappointment that the migration issue and others vital to the relationship had been largely set aside.

However, Fox was more conciliatory in his appearance with Bush than he has been at the APEC meeting.

While he criticized U.S. farm subsidies all week, he spoke Saturday of negotiations between the two countries on agricultural duties, which he said were making "important progress." And while he has complained of lack of action on the migration accord, he spoke of "complete agreement" with Bush on how to improve conditions in the Mexican countryside, and invited Bush to Mexico for a state visit.

"At this time there aren't specific solutions, because the topics are varied," Fox said.